The research was patient-led from the start when Rebecca Breslin (Chair of Beat SCAD, pictured seated above), approached Dr David Adlam (pictured second from the right above), having made contact with a number of SCAD patients in the UK. More than 500 patients are now registered for the research.

The photo above was taken in August 2013 at a meeting between 14 SCAD patients, Dr Adlam and Dr Gulati (pictured far right) from the Mayo Clinic at the Leicester Coronary Biomedical Research Unit.

Initial funding was provided by British Heart Foundation to see 100 SCAD patients for research days where various tests were carried out. That funding has now finished.

Also patient-led, the research programme at the Mayo Clinic in the US was kickstarted by two SCAD patients who met on social media. Dr Sharonne Hayes is leading the research and she and her colleagues have published some papers detailing their results so far.